Liam's 4th Birthday Party

Liam (our next door neighbor) had his 4th birthday party at Lowe's the hardware store, followed by a Pool party at their house yesterday. Ashley is very close with Liam and his big sister Emma. We are very grateful to have such great neighbors next door!

Here are some pictures from the party:
(Katelyn is not in the pictures because she missed most it because of her nap..)

Summer Fun 2010

This summer has been extremely packed with all kids of parties and get togethers.
Here are some pictures from last weekend. Between a Ft. Monmouth day, 2 birthday parties and a pig roast, we managed to sqeeze in making binoculars for Ashley so that she can "spy" like Diego (on Go Diego Go) in our backyard.

Katelyn Walking!

Finally at 12 months of age Katelyn has mastered walking! She's still a little wabbly, and is not a huge fan of shoes, but watching Ashley run is making her want to do the same.

Here are some videos from this weekend, starting with the newest first:

Katelyn Walking in Shoes First Day (July18, 2010)


Katelyn Practicing Walking (July 17th, 2010)



Katelyn Learning to Walk - Part 1 (July 16th, 2010)


Katelyn Learning to Walk - Part 2 (July 16th, 2010)

Ashley - A dancer? Umm.. not so much

Last week I took Ashley to a dance class to the same dance school that our neighbor Emma goes to. They had really nice things to say about the place and I figured perhaps Ashley may enjoy taking dance classes too and it could be something that I do with her that's special for her and me.

Well.. it really couldn't have gone any worse.. That day Ashley refused to nap which happens on regular basis now, she stays in her room, but doesn't sleep. She was cranky and just didn't want to go.. I had to promise her ice cream, just to get her to agree to come to dance class. We got there, and she didn't want to go in by herself, so the teacher was nice enough to let me come in the room with her. Then, Ashley didn't want to participate, she sat next to me frowning the whole time.. I made her watch the other two girls (who were 4 years old) follow the teacher's lead. Ashley joined for a minute several times throughout the hour but still wasn't impressed. At the end they had free dance time, so Ashley agreed to put on a tutu and dance around with a flower. She really enjoyed that part but the class was over! We said thank you for letting us try this and the teacher recommended coming back next year.. We watched older girls practice tap dancing and Ashley really liked that. Afterwards we stopped to get some "pink" ice cream (strawberry flavor) as promised. And Ashley wouldn't stop talking about how much she loved the dance class! Weird, because she really didn't act like she liked it. I think she only said it because she wanted to get more ice cream next time.

We agreed that Ashley needs to practice at home first before taking a class. That afternoon we went to the mall and got Ashley ballet shoes and a pink tutu and have been practicing at home. Now Ashley thinks she's a great dancer and is ready to tackle ice skating.. but I keep telling her that we need to practice dancing first before we can try ice skating.

Hopefully if we practice dancing a little at home and get her used to the idea of going to class by herself, she'll be ready to join in another few months.

The only reason that I want her to do something like dance is because she's very tall for her age, got super long legs, and can sometimes be very clumsy. (This summer her bathing suits are size 5/6, and they fit her perfectly) I'm hoping dance or gymnastics will help her get more coordinated!

Meanwhile since Ashley enjoyed watching older girls dance so much, I promised her that we'll go to see a dance show of some sort. Hopefully that'll get her interested in dance even more!

Our Stay-cation :)

The first week in July, our au pair Indira took her one week vacation, so I also took a week vacation from work to spend time at home with my monkeys :)

We had a busy week, starting with my birthday on July 1, then July 4th weekend, going to visit friends, fireworks (Katelyn's first!), more friends, playdates, mall, beach, sprayground, pool, picnic in the park and going on the Thomas the Train for a ride! We drove over 500 miles, and I'm happy to report that Katelyn only threw up once in the car :) Ashley got to watch movies in the car, so she was content for majority of the rides :)

Here are some pictures from our adventures. I wish I took more, but we tend to get so wrapped up in everything that taking pictures is just not the highest priority..

Katelyn's 1st Birthday Party

This past Saturday we had Katelyn’s First Birthday Party which preceded our usual BBQ that we do every year for our wedding anniversary. To make it special we booked two ponies to come to our home to give kids pony rides and kids and adults alike got to make their own grilled pizzas! It was a lot of work for mommy and daddy and everyone else that helped, but it was a lot of fun!

Katelyn enjoyed a pony ride and Ashley got probably a dozen pony rides! She really likes horses so it made for a perfect activity! We got a huge birthday cake for Katelyn which was almost gone by the end of the night!

We got to see a lot of our friends whom we haven’t seen in a while, so it was a very nice day! And big thanks to Nadia for making a special Anniversary Cake for us! It was both beautiful and yummy!

Here are a slideshow of some pictures people took for us..

Katelyn's personality is so contagious!

Katelyn's personality is so contagious it makes me smile just thinking about her. She is very sociable, constantly smiling, laughing and screeching for joy! You can’t help but join her, and many times Ashley does, so the two of them go back and forth screaming very loud and laughing. They think it’s funny, meanwhile mommy and daddy’s ears are ringing especially when they do this in a car!

Besides being extra loud, Katelyn is also very strong. She has been from day one, holding her head up was no challenge, she rolled over from her back to her tummy on the day of her Christening at 4 months old, started sitting and crawling at 6 months and by 8 months she was pulling herself up to stand and jump! She’s been walking/running holding on to furniture for a while already, she can stand for a few seconds by herself from the time she was 11 months old, but she’s not walking by herself just yet. She takes a few steps by herself and then sits down.

On June 25th we took her for her one year checkup to see Dr. Yia. She weighed in at 20 lbs 12 oz, slightly below 50%, and was at 95% for height. The Doctor asked us about Katelyn’s speech, which kind of took us back a little, I didn’t realize they expected her to be able to speak this young.. Katelyn talks baby talk all the time, and says a few words. She says Mama, Dada, This, Ashes, Down (both from Ring Around the Rosies song). She can clap her hands, point to stuff, show me how old she is, she meows and barks, dances to music and blows kisses  We’ve been trying to teach her body parts but so far she just wants to poke my eyes out..

Katelyn loves when we read to her, she loves when Ashley plays with her, and as we found out recently she also really likes swimming in the pool! Our neighbors have an in-ground pool and since day one Katelyn knew exactly what to do. We got her a ring that she can sit inside of and tread water. She’s safe in it and really likes the feeling  Ashley was a little afraid the first time, but second time we went she did very well! She sat in a ring like Katelyn, treaded water with her feet and her hands and went all over the pool! I think sooner or later we’ll have to get our own pool, because it’s just such a fun thing to do with them! And it tires them out so that they sleep well at night. Bonus! 

Also, on food front, Katelyn is finished with formula and is now having only whole milk. She drinks water from a sippy cup and milk from bottles. And she eats everything! Unlike Ashley she’s a carnivore, chicken, steak, she wants it all! (Except for eggs and nuts which are high allergens) She prefers to feed herself which can get a little messy, since she likes running her hands through her hair while she’s eating. I have to wash her in the kitchen sink after every meal! I think she likes it 
She still only had 8 teeth, but it’s enough for her to chew up everything we give her. When she’s finished eating, she rips off her bib, and throws the rest of the food from her tray to the floor. It’s a sure sign that she’s done. You really can’t force her to eat, if I try putting something else in her mouth after she’s declared that she’s done, she’ll just take it out with her hand and through it on the floor!

Katelyn's 1st Birthday Photo Shoot

Today is Katelyn’s First Birthday!

Mommy took a day off from work and we took the kids for family portraits to JCPenney. Both Ashley and Katelyn were on their best behavior at the studio, and we got some amazing shots of them. I can’t wait to pick up the prints next week! As a reward for the girls (mostly for Ashley, since she doesn’t like taking pictures and this was a big deal for all of us) we shared a Cinnabon and then went to Disney Store where Ashley picked out a Mermaid bathing suit and Katelyn picked out a Chipmunk, not sure if it was Chip or Dale.. but she really liked it, she held it tight all morning and rubbed noses with it.

We ended the day with singing Happy Birthday to Katelyn and having a little brownie with Whipped Cream! Katelyn thoroughly enjoyed her treat.

Tomorrow Katelyn will be one! What a year it's been!

Here's her story...

Right before Katelyn came into this world, we had another major event take place, on May 12th, 2009 Mike became the Mayor of Tinton Falls! He really worked hard for it, never compromising his integrity and so it was well deserved that he won!

After that exciting event, my due date of June 29th was rapidly approaching. I was worried that I was going to have the baby late and have to miss Mike's swearing in ceremony on July 1st, not to mention spending my 30th birthday at the hospital. Ashley was born 8 days early, so there was hope that Katelyn would emerge early as well. To help things along Mike, Ashley and I starting going for long walks every day. The weather didn't always cooperate and we got caught in pouring rain several times and had to run home soaking wet! Imagine what our neighbors must have thought - nine months pregnant woman running in pouring rain.

We devised a backup plan - if Katelyn wasn't born on her own by Friday, June 26th my doctor was willing to induce labor so that I don't have to miss Mike's swearing in ceremony. We tentatively agreed, however I don't like to mess with Mother Nature, and I was really hoping that Katelyn would decide herself that it was time! I wanted Katelyn to be born on June 24th, because Mike's birthday is the 24th of February, and I thought it'd be cute if they had the same date for their birthdays. And just like that around 2 a.m. on June 24th I woke up in labor. Unlike with Ashley my water didn't break, but things still progressed very fast, we barely made it to the hospital and by 6:03 a.m. Mike was holding our new baby girl! She weighed in at 8 pounds 6 ounces, and they measured her at 19.5", which we think was wrong, since a few days later she was an inch longer! She looked nothing like Ashley. She had thick, dark brown hair, and looked slightly Asian :0 She was very cute!

We got to spend a lot of quality time with her before they took her to the nursery and by afternoon we were accepting visitors! I was feeling really good and Katelyn was doing great too! She latched on right away, but was spitting up mucus. They nurses didn't seem to be concerned. Apparently it's very common with babies that are born fast or by C-section. Later in the afternoon Katelyn turned blue on us while we were holding her. We called the nurse and she patted her back and her color was pink again. No one thought anything of it. The nurses deep suctioned her and watched her a bit. We had an uneventful day and night. The next morning my doctor came to check on me and Dr. Yia came to check on Katelyn. Both of us were doing so well that they offered to release us from the hospital that day, after only 24 hours stay! We stayed until the evening and by dinner time we were already home!

Ashley was thrilled to meet baby Katelyn, she was just like her baby dolls :) The first night at home went smoothly; everyone was adjusting very quickly, but Friday night we realized that something wasn’t right. I was folding laundry and Katelyn was sleeping comfortably on Mike's chest after a big meal. We were chatting and suddenly I noticed Katelyn turning blue. It happened so quick, I grabbed Katelyn from Mike and she was limp and blue from head to toe.. We did what we saw the nurse do when this happened at the hospital, I picked her up over my shoulder started pounding on her back, sat her up on my lap supporting her head under her chin, flipped her on her back head down. I did everything I could think of, it seemed like it took a long time but she came back, started crying. She was ok.

It was scary but we sort of dismissed it like the nurses did at the hospital. I suppose we were in shock about what just happened. Later that night Joan (Mike's mom came over). I told her what happened and she suggested calling our pediatrician. It was already 8 p.m. on a Friday night. And I remember it like it was yesterday. Dr. Yia said that Katelyn needs a sleep apnea test but we wouldn't be able to get one done until Monday. She said to not leave Katelyn alone. And how are we supposed to do that for three nights?? She then suggested we go to Emergency Room and get her admitted so that she can be monitored.

We packed our stuff and back to the hospital we went, by now it was 10 p.m. I was so scared, we didn't know what's wrong or if this was going to happen again. All good doctors apparently don't work on Fridays, because the people in the ER took an hour to get her hooked up to a monitor. They used the wrong type of electrodes to stick to her chest, had to peel them back and put new ones on 4 times! I thought this was ridiculous! An Indian doctor on duty that night was basically useless, he wanted to put Katelyn on antibiotics, because her tear eye duct was clogged. I said no thanks.. that's not why we came to ER! The only useful thing that he did was propose to transfer us from Riverview Hospital to Jersey Shore. They have a Level III nursery and are considered the best hospital in the area. With that they called us an ambulance and we were transferred by ambulance to Jersey Shore long after midnight.

Since Katelyn has already been home, we was considered contaminated so we couldn't go to NICU. We were admitted to Pediatric Ward, in a two person room, luckily we were the only ones in there and both Mike and I could stay with her. She was hooked up the monitor. In case she stopped breathing the monitor would alert, and as we found out that night, the monitor would constantly have false alarms. As soon as we turned the lights off to get some rest, it beeped. I jumped out of my seat very time to run to her every time it went off; it was like a bad nightmare. The next morning, we got the news that another patient was going to move into our room. Before we had time to process this, our new nurse was nice enough to convince them to move Katelyn to NICU where it's a much cleaner environment, the last thing we wanted was for Katelyn to pick up some disease at the hospital.

We were transferred to NICU where Katelyn was placed in an infant incubator, all hooked up to different kinds of monitors. It was scary to see her like this. The nurses there were really nice, even though Katelyn looked to be the healthiest out of all the babies there; they were still very companionate and caring to us. Saturday afternoon they were able to get a technician in to start the apnea test. The test lasts 12 hours, after which they harvest the data and analyze it to come up with the diagnosis. Besides putting a ton of electrodes on her tiny body, they inserted a tube through Katelyn's nose into her esophagus to measure the acid reflex. She strongly objected to that but seemed to be ok after it was in place. (To date she doesn't let anyone touch her nose, and I swear it's because of this experience that she had when she was only 3 days old.) We didn’t get the results until two days later. The bad part about being in NICU was that there really wasn't anywhere for us to stay overnight. There's only one room in the whole hospital for parents to stay, and there was someone already in that room. Another mother and I shared the room that night and Mike slept on the couch at the Ronald McDonald suite in the hospital. They called me when Katelyn woke up to eat and I'd go to feed her.

Sunday we couldn't really do anything but wait. We needed a neonatologist to come read the results of the test, but that wouldn't happen until Monday. On Monday we met Dr. Karatas. She was the nicest doctor of all, however she proposed doing a cat scan of Katelyn's brain and a few other tests that require radiation. I didn't like the idea of that so we refused everything except for EKG, Echo Cardio Gram and Ultrasound of the head and heart. She was concerned that there may be a brain hemorrhage or heart problems. We were very lucky to find out that all tests came back negative. The only think that Katelyn had was the sleep apnea. They put her on Caffeine and Zantac and we had to stay in the NICU another day to make sure that the medicine is working. We also received a monitor to take home and got training on how to use it. Everything seemed to be under control now. So Tuesday we finally got discharged and came home, just in time for Mike's swearing in ceremony and my birthday on Wednesday :)

Wednesday night my mom watched Ashley and Katelyn while Mike and I went to the townhall and later for a celebration party at The Falls. It was hard to leave Katelyn at home that night, but it was nice to get out for a couple of hours as well! We really needed that after spending 5 days in the hospital.

Katelyn was ok, soon after we found out that there are several people that we know that had babies with sleep apnea and they reassured us that it will be ok. Their kids were older and healthy, so we were hopeful. The best scenario was that Katelyn would be on meds and monitor for one month and then off meds and on monitor for another months. It took longer than that.. She had to be on meds for two months before I started weaning her off and we had the monitor for 4 months. In the last month we only put her on the monitor when we put her to sleep.

It was scary to think that perhaps something else might be off because of the times when she turned blue and lost oxygen, but now that she's a year old, we feel reassured that she's just fine. She hit all her milestones on target if not sooner, and has been developing normally. We are very blessed to have her in our lives! (To be continued...)